Register.



'No. 873,270. PATENTED DEC. 10, 1907.

. L. A. SCHMIDT. 1

REGISTER.

APPLICATION FILED PER-10, 1902 SSHEETS-SHEBT 1.

PATENTED DEC. 10, 1907.

L. A. SCHMIDT.

REGISTER.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 10, 1002. 7

a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

%/ @$Je;, I v i No. 873,270. PATBNTED DEC. 10, 1907. L. A. SCHMIDT.REGISTER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10, 1902.

3 flHEBTS-SHEET 3.

HIM! [HID UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Louis A. sonnmr, or omoiieo, ILLINOIS, Assienon or ONE-HALF To JAMES E.PLEW, OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RE GISTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec.'10, 1907.

- To all whom it may concern:

. improvem cnts h ereinaftcr described and more Be it known that I,LoUIs A. SCHMIDT, a resident of Chicago, in the countyof Cook and Stateof Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRegisters,

of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in registers and refers morespecifically to an improved register or tallying'machine from whichreadings may be taken electrically; the device being particularly adated" for use in connection with telephones, a though. not confined tothis particular application.

Among the objects of the invention are to provide a simple and reliabletallying mechanism which may be conveniently operated and from which areading of the accumulated calls or tallies may be taken at any timeelectrically; to provide a device of this general character by means ofwhich a reading may be transferred to a distant point electrically andby the simple manipulation of a push button, or equivalent device; toprovide a construction in which the operation of pressing a button tocall for a telephone connection, operates to automatically register thecall and also to throw into operatiol'i a buzzer which signals for theconnection; to provide in a device of this general character means forinsuring a gradual movement of the traversing device by means of which atactual reading is accon'i'plished, and in general to provide a simpleand improved device of the character referred to.

To these ends the invention consists in the particularly pointed out in.the appended claims, and the invention will be more readily understoodfrom the following descri tion by reference to the accompanying rawingsforming a part thereof, and in which- Figure 1' is. a front elevation ofa preferred embodiment of my invention; the iront easing,of the registerbeing removed to expose the arrangement of the mechanism therein. Fig. 2is an end elevation of the same with the side casing removed, andlooking atthe left-hand side of the device as seen in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isa plan view with. the top casing removed. Fig. 4 is a tral'isverse,verticz'i-l, soctional view taken on line 4- 4 of F ig. 1. Fig. 5 is adetail view in axial section of a pair of the tally wheels showingparticularly the carrying mechanism therein, and Fig. 6 is a face Viewof the inner disk-like support within which the transfer pinion isjournaled. Figs. 7 and 8 are details of the registering disks. Fig. 9 isa view partly structural an partly diagrammatic, showing the circuitconnections between the register andcentral' station.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates as a whole a suitable casingwlthin which is conveniently mounted a shaft 2 having its ends supportedin suitable brackets 3 and held from rotation thereby. Upon the shaft 2are journaled a plurality of registering disks, as 4, 5, 6 and 7, eachof which is provided upon its outer surface or periphery Witha series oflongitudinally extending rows of contact points or projections 8; thesegroups of contact points being in the embodiment shown herein grouped torepresent'the digits from 0 to 9 and spaced at uniform distances apartaround the circumference of the several disks to represent the series ofdigits. The contact points 8 are of metal or suitable conductingmaterial and are adapted to make and break contact with a wiper ortraversing contact device for the purpose of transmitting electricalimpulses to a distant station. To this end the several tally disks orwheels are so journaled upon,the shaft 2 as to be stepped forward and tobe arrested in their several positions with their groups or lines ofcontact points in alinement with each other as indicated clearly in Fig.1'.

9 "designates as, 'a whole a traversing contact device which, in thepresent instance, takes the form of an angular lever pivotally supportedat its angle as indicated at 10 to a suitable support 11 within thecasing and having one" of its arms 12 operatively connected withanactuating rod whic is arranged to reciprocate vertically within thecasing and extends out through the top of the same to form a push button13.

In order to provide for the movement of the attached end of the arm 12relative to the actuating rod, a slot and pin connection is provided asindicated at 14 and in order to insure a gradual movement of thetraversing device across the faces of the series of disks,

the lower end of thenctiuiting rod is ar ranged to extend within adash-pot 5 and is provided with a piston 16 operating therein in theusual manner. The actuating rod is norm ally held at its upper limit ofmovement iently connected with the traversing arm 12 and with a suitablestud 18 within the casing.

Extending longitudinally across the faces of the several disks is a pairof p'arallel guides 19 which may be and are shown herein as supportedupon the brackets 3 hereinbefore re erred to so as to extend adjacentthe peripheries of the several disks.

20 designates a sliding block or traverser mounted to slide upon theguides 19 and either formed of insulating material or properly insulatedfrom the parts which it supports as hereinafter described. The she? ortraverser 20 is operatively connected with the arm 12 so as to move withthe latter across the faces of the disks, and to this end said slide isconveniently provided upon its outer side with a wrist-like extension orstud 21 which engages and fits within a slot 22 formed to extendlongitudinally in the end of the arm 12; the slot and wrist connectionaffording the necessary relative movement between the slide and arm asthe latter sweeps through its arc of movement.

23 designates a spring-pressed plunger con tact device which is mountedwithin and to extend through the, slide 20 and project inwardly beyondthe latter sufiiciently to make contact with the several'contact points8 as the slide moves across the faces of the disks. The outer end of theplunger 23 is shouldered so as to limit the extent of inward movementthereof and a plate spring24' is arranged to bear yieldingly against itsouter elnd as shown clearly in Fig. 4. Thecontact device 23 is of metalor other conducting material and its shoulder 23 is so located as tolimit its inward movement and insure a breaking of contact between thepoint of the same and the projections or contact points 8 as it passesfrom one to the other of the series. The spring 24 is electricallyconnected with one circuit wire 25 of an electrical circuit and the bodyof the register and therefore the several tally disks or wheels thereof,with'the other circuit wire 26 of the circuit, so that the circuit isalternately made and broken as the traverser sweeps across the face ofthe disks and the plunger 23 engages those points which are in alinementwith the path of the traverser.

in order to step the tallying wheels forward to register the number ofcalls, a second actuating rod 27 is provided which. is mounted toreciprocate in suitable bcarii'igs in the casing and is arranged toextend upwardly through the top of the latter and tcrnriiiatcs in a pushbutton 28. The actuating rod 27 is normally held at its upper limit ofmovement by means of a spring 29 and is arranged to extend adjacent tothe end of the units tally disk 4, which latter is provided with aratchet wheel 30 having a series of teeth rorresponding in number to theseries of digits.

Upon the actuating rod 27 is mounted a push pawl 31 which serves to stepforward the ratchet wheel one step upon each depression of the actuatingrod.

Any suitable carrying mechanism may be employed for transferring aproper movement from the tally disks of .lowcr order to those of nexthigher order, in a well understood manner, but in the present instance Ihave chosen a mechanism which is best shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. Asshown in said figures, each of the tally disks, except that of highestorder, is provided with an internal gear rim or flange 32 .having twoteeth and arranged to overhang or telescope upon the periphery of adisk-like pinion support which is immovably mounted upon the main shaft2. The pinion support is provided in one face at its periphery with arecess 3-l carrying astud 35 upon which is journaled a pinion 36 which,as best seen in Fig. 7, is

essentially a double pinion, one member of v which has six teeth, whilethe opposite side has but three. The disk of next higher order isprovided in its meeting face with an internal gear having double thenumber of teeth there are unit spaces or digits upon the periphery ofthe disk and the pinion 34 is so disposed that its side having thelarger number of teeth intermesh with the disk of higher order, whileits opposite side intermeshes with the disk of lower order and havingbut two teeth. In the embodiment shown herein the pi11ion 35 has butthree teeth on one side and six on the op osite, and the triangulardisposition of t c three teeth 7 causes the pinion to cooperate with theun toothed ortion of the flange of the disk of lower or er to lock thelatter against move ment except during the time its two teeth areengaged .with the pinion. In other words, upon each rotation of the diskof lower order, the pinion will be rotated one-third of a revolution andwill consequently rotate the disk of next higher order two teeth or onetenth of a revolution; the pinion being locked against further rotationuntil the disk oflower order again. completes its revolution.

In order that a signal may be automatically given to central at the sametime that the push button 28 is depressed to record a call, theactuating rod 27 is made to close a circuit through an ordinary buzzer,thereby causing an electrical vibration on the line which notifiescentral of the call. To this end a contact lever 37 is pivotally mountedupon a suitable support 38 within the casing and i. arranged to projectat its free end within a recess 39, having upper and lower sl'iouldcrs40 and 41 ada )ted to engage the upper and lower sides ol'the contactlcvcr respectively as the actuating rod 27 is moved from one limit ofmovement to the other. 42 designates a fixed contact point which is solocated 'as to be within the path of the swinging end of the contactlever 37 when the latter is depressed; the lever being held out'ofengagement with the contact device 42 when the contact rod is in itsnormal or uppermost position as shown clearly in Fig. 2. 'The contactlever 37 forms one terminal and the contact device 42 another, of acircuit through the .buzzer, so that whenever the push button 28 isdepressed the circuit will be closed and a signal thus given to central.

The operation of the-device has been clearly indicated infconnecti'onwith the description of, the mechanism,v but it may be brieflyrecapitulated as follows: Each time the push button 28 is depressed tosignal central for a connection, the tally mechanism. is stepped forwardto record the call through the engagement of the pawl 31 with theratchet of the units disk. At any time when it is desired to take areading of the register, central will call up the subscriber andinstruct him to depress the push button 13; it

being understood that the telephone circuit which extends through theregister at the subscribers station, also extends through. a recordinginstrument which may be of the ordinary Morse type, at the station atcentral. The depression of the push button 13 causes the traversingcontact device to move gradually across the series of disks and toaccordingly makeand break the circuit a number-of times equal to thenumber of contact points at that time in alinemcnt with the path of thetraversing contact device. The

. return-movement will simply repeat the reboard. From the tip contact55 cording operation.

In Fig. 9 is shown a suitable system of circuit connections for theregister. As shown in said figure, the conductor 25 forms a part of themain line wire L, which extends to the central ofiice and normally toground at 43 a switch contact 44 being provided inv this line,controlled. by a relay 45 Willfill opens the circuit at 44 when theoperator plugs in." The conductor 26 leads to ground at 46, and a branchconductor 47 connected therewith leads to and through the buzzer 4S,thence through a conductor 49 to and through the contacts 37 and 42hcreinbcfore described, and back to the right main line R over a con ductor 50. At central the right-hand line is provided with a contact 5toperated by the relay 45, passes thence to the drop 52, to and throughbattery 53, and thhnce to ground at 43. .34 dcsignates'as a whole ausual telephone set forming a part of the cord circuit, and 55, 56 and57 respectively designate the three terminals of a plug adapted torespectively cooperate with the two spring con,- tacts 58, 5!) andsleeve 60 of the switch a conductor 61 extends to and through anysuitable recording instrument 62; an ordinary Morse ticker belngindicated in'convei'itional form.

The recording circuit' will then be from ground at 65 through thebattery 64, ticker 62 and conductor 61 to the plug contact 55; thence tocontact 58 and over the left main line to the spring 24 of the angularcontact lever 9. The spring 24 and connected parts form. an interruptedcircuit through the contact points 8 of the register disks, which latterare in electrical connection with the arm 12 of the angular contactmember, as hereinbefore fully described, and from the latter arm thecircuit is over conductor 26 to ground at 46, thus completing thecircuitfrom ground at 65 to ground at 46. It follows that this circuitwill be opened and closed as the contact lever sweeps across the seriesof disks a number of times equal to the number of contact points 8 atthat time in register with the guide ways 19, and accord- ,ingly theticker willindicate a correspond ing series of impressions on the tape.

It will be seen from the foregoingthat a reading may be taken at anytime Without in any wise interfering with or affecting the operation ofthe register and that the mechanism is so simple and positive inoperation that there is little chance 'or possibility of errors in oeration.

'While I iave herein shown and described what I deem the mostpreferredembodiment of my invention, yet the details of construction may bemodified without in any sense departing from the spirit of theinvention, 7 and Ido not, therefore, limit myself to these detailsexcept to such extent as they are made the subject of specific claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an electrical register, the combina tion of a series oftallywheels, a ratchet and push-button mechanism for stepping said talleywheels forward to record the number of calls, a circumferential seriesof groups of contact points upon each tally wheel each groupcori'csponding in number of points to one of the digits, a traversingslide guided to reciprocate across said series of tally wheels, aspring-pressed vibrating contact device opcratiycly mounted in saidslide, an electric circuit. circuit interrupting means actuated by saidvibrating contact device and included in said circuit which isalternately opened and closed by the vibrations of said contact device,a manually operable actuating device for moving said slide across '30 .4are ,270

the series of tally wheels, operable independently of said ratchetpush-button, and an electric signal operatively connected with saidratchet push-button mechanism.

2. In an electrical register, the combination of a series of tallyWheels, a ratchet and push-button mechanism for stepping said tallywheels forward to record the number of calls, a circumferential seriesof groups of contact points upon each tally wheel each groupcorresponding in number oipoints to one of the digits, a traversingslide guided to reciprocate across said series of tally wheels, aspring-pressed vibrating contact device operatively mounted in saidslide, an electric circuit, circuit interrupting means actuated by saidvibrating contact device and inc uded in said circuit which isalternately opened and closed by the vibrations of said contact device,a manually operable actuating device for moving said slide across theseries of tally wheels, operable independ- ,ently, of said ratchetpush-button, a retardmg mechanism governing the moving of said slideactuating device, and an electric signal. operatively connected withsaid ratchet push-button mechanism.

'3LIn an electrical register, the combination of a series of tallywheels, a ratchet and push-button mechanism for stepping said tallywheelsforward to record the number of calls, a circumferential series ofgroups of contact points upon each tally Wheel each group correspondingin number ofpoints to one of the digits, a traversing slide guided toreciprocate across said series of tally Wheels, a spring-pressedvibrating contact device oper atively mounted in said slide, an electriccireuit, circuit interrupting means actuated by said vibrating contactdevice and included in said circuit which is alternately opened andclosed by the vibrations of said contact device, a manually operableactuatin device for moving said slide across the series of tally wheels,operable independently of said ratchet push-button, a retardingmechanism governing the moving of said slide actu-' ating device, meansoperating to automatically return said slide actuating device to itsnormal position, and an electric signal 0pera tively connected with saidratchet pushbutton mechanism.

LOUIS A. SCHMIDT. Witnesses FREDERICK C. GooDwrN, ALBERT H. GRAvEs.

